How to Call Forward?

[Lachlan_M]

Setting up Call Forwarding allows you to set up your phone to immediately forward any calls you receive to a different phone number. You can still make outgoing calls on your phone, but incoming calls will go to the number you set up for Call Forward.

Calls can only be forwarded to numbers within Canada as defined by your rate plan.

The process for setting up call-forwarding is different from phone to phone. Check out your phone’s user guide for details. 

Below are the generic settings for different phone types:

Android

Phone icon > Settings Menu > Call > More settings > Call Forwarding  

Iphone 

Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding

Blackberry

Phone icon > Swipe down from the top > Tap Settings > Call Forwarding

Windows

Settings > System Applications > phone > Call Forwarding / Phone > More > Settings > Call Forwarding

[7789849803]

Let us know how it goes - all the best!

[DK]

Alright guys, thanks for the suggestions. I will give the grocery thing a try. 

Thanks

[7789849803]

@DK I just realized you don't even need my help with testing this functionality!

Just follow these steps:

(1) Forward your wife's number to a number you know of south of the border (say, to a grocery store).

(2) Call your wife's number from another phone to see if it rings through to the said number (say, to the grocery store).

(3) Deactivate the forwarding.

(4) Profit!

So you can just ignore my private message to you after all 🙂

[Luddite]

@DK If your plan included call forwarding then you can do that to any number where you have unlimited calling. In iOS 9 you go to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding > toggle on and enter the number.

[7789849803]

@DK I can't speak definitively on this issue, but I'm guessing the answer is "yes".

Also, I'm sending you a private message shortly to offer you some additional help in this matter. Please respond whenever you get a chance.

[DK]

Hi everyone, haven't posted in awhile but have a question regarding call forwarding. My wifes account is a pioneer account so she has unlimited Canada wide and US calling that is no longer available. My question is can she forward to a US number that will be setup via Roam.

I realize it has to be done from her iPhone but the topic isn't covered in the previous posts. I realize there maybe other solutions but I am trying to keep this simple as my wife is not a tech geek and hasn't the time or patience for any or most work arounds.

Thanks in advance.

[7789849803]

Aah, I understand now. Yes, sometimes even the Nexus 4 that I am currently using, will take upto 5 minutes after I come home to realize there's WiFi to be found (unless I turn on the screen, in which case it connects right away).

[Alexo]

I never said I had a problem using Fongo.

I said that when the screen is turned off, and I enter a known WiFi zone, the phone will not connect to the network until I turn the screen on.

The background data restriction does not apply to WiFi, only to cellular data.

[7789849803]

@Alexo I used to own a Nexus 5, and never had a problem using Fongo on it all day and night (even when the screen was off). Your problem sounds like it may be specific to your firmware - or may be resolved with a hard reset.

I don't know if Fongo will work right for you if you set it to only be able to work when in the foreground. Moreover, it doesn't consume much data at all when on a mobile connection (especially if you're not even using it to make/receive calls and texts.

[Alexo]

Thanks you everyone for your suggestions.

Unfortunatelly, the "automated" solutions using Tasker or Forward My Calls would not work for me since my Nexus 5 does not connect to a WiFi network when the screen is off, even though I set the option to keep WiFi on during sleep (apparently a known bug).

This is what I ended up doing:

1) Installed Fongo and got a local number.

2) Set up a conditional "when unreacheable" forwarding to that number.

3) Restricted Fongo's background data.

Since my plan does not include data (I use add-ons) I only want to use Fongo on WiFi, or when explicitly running it in the foreground.

So this is how it should work:

When I am reachable and available, calls will go through.

When I am reachable but busy or not answering, calls will go to my PM voicemail.

When I am not reachable but on WiFi, calls will go to Fongo.

When I am not reachable and not on WiFi, calls will go to the Fongo voicemail.

The only problem is with SMS messages, which cannot be forwarded on the provider side.

Also, I need to remember to make an outgoing Fongo call at least once every 90 days to keep my number.

Thanks again,

Alex.

[srlawren]

Much obliged, @7789849803

[7789849803]

Haha - no worries @srlawren 🙂

Let me know if you have any other questions before/as you start the Fongo experiment.

[srlawren]

@7789849803 wow, must be a Monday alright!  I could have sworn I saw a reply in this thread that said Fongo didn't offer an option to text to international numbers but now I don't see it at all so please disregard that part!  Thanks for that!

Also good to know about the data consumption.  So, at that rate, I could still reduce my 90-day bills by about $41 minus any other fees I'd pay to Fongo such as for texting add-on.  Probably still worth exploring!

[7789849803]

@srlawren I can post a screenshot of settings I currently have on my Fongo if you like. But then again, the ones that work best for you will necessarily be different.

What do you mean by "internal texting"? Fongo does offer unlimited texting packages to the US and Canada (currently CAD 8.49 for 3 months, and CAD 14.99 for 6 months).

Voice (and text) traffic actually uses very little data, so I doubt you'd be exceeding your data allowances by much. Also, if you have WiFi at home or at work, you can use that to cut down your data usage even further.

[srlawren]

Oh and internal texting inavailability would be a bit annoying but I don't use it much.  I could probably just Facebook Messenger or Skype message with the few people in the US I text currently.

[srlawren]

Thanks @7789849803 and @Martin, I think I will soon try the forwarding approach with a temporary number on Fongo just to see how well it works for me.  778, would be interested to hear more about settings and what works well for you, but no rush.  Martin, you raise a good point about MMS, which might be an issue for me.  I don't use it a ton, but some friends and family do send me things via MMS from time to time.  

The other thing that I forgot is that with data only, you end up losing $45 (on a 90-day plan) of pick-3 discounts, which cuts into the savings quite a bit.  So far, about 1 1/3 90-day cycles with PM, I'm still well under my 6GB plan, but if I start adding voice into that, if I had to buy data add-ons or up my plan to 12GB, it would largely or completely remove the savings of removing the talk&text options. 

The reason I'm a bit concerned about voice quality is past experience with voice calling over things like BBM, Skype, Lync/Skyp-for-business, etc., which can be at poor at times, with garbles, dropped sections of audio, etc. 

[7789849803]

Thanks for bringing up the MMS limitation, @Luddite! In my case, it's a non-issue because I use WhatsApp with all my friends anyway.

[Luddite]

@srlawren I think you and 778 are correct in that porting your phone number closes your account and deletes any balance in the account. So the only way for continuity of service is, as 778 says, get a second PM account up and running on data only then port the PM number. Allowing for the 2 weeks for porting means you'll have 2 active account for a short time.

Since Fongo is free you could try out call quality before committing by forwarding PM to Fongo. Of course when you call out folks with caller id will be confused by your Fongo number.

Last thing is no incoming MMS with Fongo and you must pay a bit for outgoing SMS/pseudo MMS.

[7789849803]

@srlawren These are some good questions you raise.

In my case, I decided to get a new Fongo number. Porting to Fongo can be an elaborate process (takes upto 2 weeks, and costs $25), but I know it can be done. If you were to decide to go that route, you could always order a new PM SIM card in advance, and activate it for data-only service.

Voice quality is ABSOLUTELY not a problem with Fongo. One of the things I really like about Fongo is how they use so many different technical approaches within their Android app. So as a user, you can go in and easily reconfigure it differently if you start experiencing any problems with voice quality. This is necessary because the range of phones, connections, port forwarding issues, etc, which can present themselves will be different for each individual. If you're curious, I'd say you should sign up and take Fongo for a test-drive before you go ahead with porting a number over to it. As part of their sign-up process, Fongo will give you a free Canadian number.

[srlawren]

@7789849803 Yes I think the combination of forward-when-unavailable, and using Tasker to cycle off the mobile network when connecting to particular WiFi network(s) and back on when disconnecting would probably cover this situation about 99% or better.  There might be the odd time when transitioning from one network to the other where a call might accidentally go to Fongo voicemail when it shouldn't, perhaps.  Though I've never tried setting something like this up.

I'm very intruiged by the data-only and port your phone number to Fongo idea.  I've checked it out a few times on the Play store but keep seeing reviews complaining of call quality issues and it scares me a bit.  Also, I'd be curious how to do that port as an existing PM customer.  If I've got talk, text, and data currently, and I port my phone number to Fongo, wouldn't PM then deactivate my account in response to the port?  They would do that if I ported my number somewhere else (Fido, Rogers, Bell, Telus, etc), right?  But in this case I'd need them to keep the data part active without cancelling.  I'm not sure how the would work!  Did you do this transition at all, or did you just start with data only with PM already?  Curious.

[7789849803]

@Alexo Given your requirement, what I'd do personally, is to transfer calls only when unavailable (meaning when your phone is not connected to the network). That way, all you'd have to do is to turn on airplane mode when you get to the office, and then turn on WiFi for Fongo. Your incoming calls will automatically come through on Fongo.

The only drawback is your having to remember to turn off the mobile network when you get to the office, and to turn it back on right after you leave.

But the only way to automate it any further would be to use an app like the one @srlawren has suggested above.

OR

Here's a crazy idea! Why not port your number to Fongo and use it exclusively for all voice and text traffic? That way, you'd be using the Telus network only for data when you're out and about. And you'd still get to use WiFi at work and at home.

[srlawren]

You can do something similar but not exactly that, using Tasker. For example:

http://tasker.wikidot.com/call-forwarding

[Alexo]

Thank you!

The reason I asked for the numbers is that I a trying to find a way to automate it.

For example:

When connected to the office WiFi and the reception is crappy, forward to the office phone.

When disconnected from the office WiFi, cancel the forwarding.

Or maybe even:

When connected to any WiFi and the reception is crappy, forward to fongo.

When disconnected from the WiFi, cancel the forwarding.

[7789849803]

Here are your answers Alex:

(1) http://www.telus.com/en/bc/support/article/call-forward-mobile

Or you can do it the easier way by just accessing the setting from your phone menu. I've never come across any phone (feature or smart) that didn't have call forwarding settings built in to the firmware. They're usually in the "phone" or "calls" section of the phone's Settings menu.

(2) No. Call forwarding can only be set up (or modified) on the network from your phone itself.

[Alexo]

And back on topic.

Question #1:

What are the numbers to dial to enable/disable call forwarding on PM?

Iincluding changing the number forwarded to, and the various conditional forwarding.

Question #2:

If I am in an area that has no coverage, or my phone is off (no battery), it still possible to set up call forwarding by dialing from another phone, using WiFi, or any other method?

Thank you,

Alex.

[7789849803]

Not to go too far off-topic, but I feel the need at this point, to clarify my political stance on a couple key issues facing our generation today:

(a) A mere $5 bear patrol tax that funds stealth bombers is a real bargain. We should be thankful for the lack of bears on our streets!

(b) I'm super interested in buying Lisa's Tiger-ridding rock. Do you think I could sucker her into selling it to me for a mere million dollars?

(3) (Consistency is for people who lack creativity) If specious reasoning were so bad for our species, why would it be called that? Just sayin'...

[Martin]

Hello again @Alexo,

There are 4 forwarding parameters that PM supports: Forwarding
1: when busy
2: when unreachable
3: when unanswered
4: Always/never forward

Please note that, if you have a provincial calling plan, you can forward to numbers only in your province.

If you have a Canada-wide calling plan, calls can be forwarded to any Canadian number.

Forwarding to a number outside of Canada is not permitted.

Cheers.

[Martin]

Hi @Alexo,

Yes, PM supports forwarding when the subscriber is not reachable or available.

Cheers.

[Alexo]

A regrettable misunderstanding perhaps.

I may have overreacted and I apologize for that.  Let us forget this incident.

Back to the topic of call forwarding:

Does Public Mobile support conditional forwarding?

Specifically, forwarding when not reachable.

[Martin]

Hi,

If it is my post to which you are referring, I sincerely apologize, though no offence was intended.

FYI.